Capturing Thoughts Before They Perish

As parents (or future parents in my case at least) we should understand that religious indoctrination is nothing more but child abuse.

We are essentially cutting off diversity by imposing our thoughts over the new generation’s thoughts. Thus harmful to us all, by attacking the evolution of human mentality and “teaching” them things like young-earth creationism and that homosexuality is unnatural and purely a choice.

Alternatively, we should teach them how to think for themselves, how to evaluate evidence, and how to disagree with us. In my opinion, even the most intense religious indoctrinations can be overcome.

I replied:

You are absolutely right. We must be careful not to make your approach another “intellectual” indoctrination and indirectly influence on our children our “liberal” points of view. For this reason, it is essential to bring them up on “Mustapha’s Premises on Steroids”: we should prepare them to learn, unlearn, relearn and to think collaboratively (the steroid) at a very early age. This could be achieved in promoting the values of flexibility, adaptability and tolerance. Then let them build their own personality, as you said, through thinking [collaboratively with others] for themselves. Once they reach this stage, then they are free to indoctrinate themselves in any paradigm they choose. This is the “food for thought” I fed my son.

PS: 1. To clarify collaboration vs cooperation. Cooperation is synergy among individuals of the same paradigm. While collaboration is synergy among individuals from different paradigms. 2. Thank you, Mustapha Hamoui: for enticing this discussion. Valuable thoughts.